Franklin: Officials back new 'sexting' bill

DORCHESTER - A local lawmaker has spoken out in favor of a new effort to address the issue of "sexting" - sending sexually explicit photos - among teens.

State Rep. Jeffrey Roy, D-Franklin, and Franklin Police Sgt. Jason Reilly were part of a ceremony in Tuesday in which Gov. Charlie Baker introduced a bill - An Act Relative to the Harmful Distribution of Sexually Explicit Visual Material - meant to give law enforcement more options to deal with sexting.

Roy had filed a bill on the issue in 2015 - and put forth another in January of this year - noting that, under the state's current laws, teens who engage in sexting could be brought up on child pornography charges.

"When lawmakers wrote the (child pornography) law 20 years ago, they weren't thinking of teenagers engaging in this behavior," he said. "Law enforcement officers were put in the terrible position of either charging a kid with a felony or doing nothing."

Roy said the bill allows for different resolutions, including one where - on the recommendation of the district attorney - a teen can be referred to an education program instead of facing criminal charges.

"It turns an unfortunate incident into a teachable moment," he said.

Roy said the issue was brought to his attention by Reilly, who had been working as the Franklin department's liaison to the courts.

Reilly said the police officers who were involved with the schools had spoken to him about problems with the current laws.

"When we have these types of cases, the only thing they could charge was felonies - no one wants to give that charge to a kid," he said. "A felony can affect them in high school, in colleges, in a job - it's really life-altering."

According to Roy, his 2015 bill received a favorable review by the judiciary committee, but time ran out on the legislative session before it could be voted upon. He said he was excited to see Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito take on this issue, adding that he hoped their consideration gives the matter new life.

Reilly said he felt the new options were better ways of dealing with sexting.

"This is an opportunity to educate kids about what they put out there, and how it can affect their life as a whole," he said.

Reilly said he was pleased to participate in Tuesday's event, as it was a step toward addressing antiquated laws.

"It was exciting to be a part of the ceremony - not only as a police officer, but as a parent," he said. "It's great they're trying to get something done."

Mike Gleason can be reached at 508-634-7546 or mgleason@wickedlocal.com. For news throughout the day, follow him on Twitter @MGleason_MDN.